Patti LaBelle Sued for Toddler, Mother Fiasco

Looks like soul-singing diva Patti LaBelle is in trouble with the law once again, after allegedly throwing water at an 18-month-old child and trying to punch the child's mother. NBC reports that a new lawsuit, filed Mon., Nov. 14, says the singer allegedly got heated with the mother -- a kindergarten teacher -- over parenting techniques and the argument escalated into a screaming match.

The incident took place in a Manhattan apartment building where the complainants, Roseanna Monk and her husband Kevin, live. LaBelle had also been staying in the building for a short time during her tenure in the Broadway musical 'Fela!'

The Monks' lawyer, Samuel L. Davis, recently told the press that the 'Lady Marmalade' singer got into an unwarranted scuffle with Roseanna Monk, when she allowed her toddler to stray slightly away. Monk was apparently carrying some luggage and a car seat in the lobby of her building on Nov. 11, 2010 when LaBelle criticized her neighbor for her lack of concern. Monk then scooped up her child and told LaBelle that it was none of her business, which led the singer to throw water at the pair while simultaneously launching into an obscenity-laden lecture.

When the toddler started to cry, Monk made an undisclosed remark to LaBelle who then charged the resident, attempting to hit her. The Monks' lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount for damages, an apology from LaBelle and a donation to a children's cancer charity. According to Davis, the request has been denied by LaBelle and her camp. "Someone's got to teach her even a diva can't attack and frighten and assault regular people in the building," Davis relayed from his clients.

This new lawsuit comes just months after LaBelle's bodyguards brutally beat a West Point cadet when he neared too close to the singer's luggage outside a Houston airport. After the incident, the cadet, Richard King, was suspended from West Point. He has since been reinstated and is suing LaBelle for physical damages and defamation. The singer recently countersued for the cadet's alleged use of sexually and racially demeaning language at the airport pickup area.

At the time of LaBelle's incident with the Monks, the family filed a police report but no arrests were made.